With the new Jane Eyre movie now in theaters, I decided to reread the classic story and was struck by how many of its themes still resonate today. It certainly is gothic – with its shadowed middle-of-the-night happenings and the lunatic wife locked in the attic.

But what surprised me were the feminist themes. Jane is a forthright and smart young woman who laments the lack of intellectual pursuits for women – even commenting that females need to be stimulated in the same way that men do. And this was back in 1847.  

I also couldn’t help thinking that Edward Rochester would never cut it as a hero in today’s romance world. This is a man who deliberately taunts Jane by pretending he is about to marry another woman. He also lies to her, almost commits bigamy and repeatedly tries to convince her to become his mistress. Not exactly the traditional hero.

But perhaps that is part of his appeal. Rochester is not handsome and a forthright Jane even tells him so. However,  that he falls totally and completely in love with our heroine is not in question. Ultimately, we do fall for him and his intensity. He is the ultimate suffering hero. And,  Jane does refer to Rochester’s broad chest and athletic form.

I guess some aspects of a romance hero endure over time.

The New York Times reports that self-epublishing sensation Amanda Hocking has landed a four-book deal with St. Martin’s Press, a traditional publisher.

The new series will be called “Watersong.” The Times reports that the bidding went over $2 million for world English rights. No comment yet from St. Martin’s. 

Hocking, 26, made headlines for selling more than a million copies as a self-epublished author. Three of her self-epublished young adult paranormals appeared on the USA Today top 50 bestseller list.

On her blog, the epublishing trailblazer explained why she sought a deal with a traditional publisher.

“I want to be a writer. I do not want to spend 40 hours a week handling e-mails, formatting covers, finding editors, etc. Right now, being me is a full-time corporation.”

The New York Times is reporting that self-epublishing sensation Amanda Hocking appears close to a six-figure traditional publishing deal.

Agent Steve Axelrod is said to be shopping a four-book deal to publishers. The bids are “well over $1 million for world English rights,” according to two unnamed publishing sources who spoke with the paper. Publishers Weekly reports that the series is new and has never been published.

Hocking, 26, caused a stir in the industry in February, when three of her self-epublished young adult paranormals appeared on the USA Today bestseller list. All three were in the top 50.

According to USA Today, Hocking sold more than 450,000 copies of her nine titles in January alone.

On her blog, Hocking says her eight self-epublished books sell for between $.99 and $1.99 – and that she’s sold 900,000 copies of her books since April 2010.